Vol. 571 No. 1
1385 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the changes she intends making to allow civil marriages in places other than registry offices; when she expects the proposed legislation to be brought before the Houses of the Oireachtas; the stage it is currently at; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21213/03]
The Civil Registration Bill 2003, which was published on 17 July last, provides for re-organisation and modernisation of the system of registration of births, stillbirths, adoptions, marriages and deaths. The Bill further provides for the extension of the civil registration system to decrees of divorce and decrees of nullity of marriage granted by the courts.
The system operating at present was established 150 years ago, and the registration procedures have remained largely unchanged, despite significant demographic changes and technological developments.
The main objectives of the Civil Registration Bill 2003 include: rationalisation of the procedures for registration of life events; assignment of responsibility for policy and standards of service to an tArd-Chláraitheoir; devolution of responsibility for management, control and administration of the Civil Registration Service at local level to health boards; and establishment of new registers of divorce and nullity of marriage.
Part 6 of the Bill provides for a number of reforms to the existing procedures for the notification and registration of marriages. Additional legislative proposals, including those relating to marriage venues, are being worked on at present, informed by recommendations contained in a series of discussion papers, published by the inter-departmental committee on the reform of marriage law and subsequent responses to these.
I hope shortly to be in a position to indicate when proposals will be brought forward in this regard.
